A Martial Arts Maniac

UK -- A 20-year-old man, tagged a "martial arts maniac" (and for obvious reasons it seems) has been sentenced to seven and half years in jail for two sickening attacks.

The full-blown idiot left a party-goer with serious brain injuries when he delivered a kick to the head which prosecutors proclaimed "Jean Claude Van Damme would have been proud of."

While on bail for this attack, the sneering moron then stabbed a man twice after being kicked out of a martial arts competition.

While the judge at the Newcastle Crown Court trial outlined the injuries he inflicted, the young low-life was reportedly laughing and and smiling.

It is indeed reports like this from chroniclelive.co.uk which at times makes me deeply ashamed to belong to the martial arts fraternity.

Passing of a Legend

Holland -- After being ill for some time, the Dutch judo legend passed away at the age of 76 in his home town of Utrecht, according to rnw.nl.

Geesink shocked Japan as well as the judo world by being the first non-Japanese to beat their own title favorite - Akio Kaminga - at the Olympics in 1964. All though this was a huge blow to the Japanese, Geesink was revered there as a great judoka into his old age.

School Judo Deaths

Japan -- When a 15-year-old boy skipped judo practice, the boy's teacher was furious and stood waiting for him at the gates of his junior high school in Yokohama, according to the boy's parents.

The teacher, a former All Japan judo champion then reportedly forced the boy into the gym and made him grapple one on one. The judo teacher allegedly then choked the boy until he lost consciousness.

When the boy came to, the teacher once again choked the boy until he went limp. The teenager was thrown to the floor with such force that he suffered a severe brain injury - acute subdural hematoma.

The above is one of the cases referred to in this article from search.japantimes.co.jp, titled "108 school judo class deaths but no charges, only silence".

The Japan Judo Accident Victims Association has a special web site set up at at judojiko.net/eng/

Sued: Combat Krav Maga

Florida -- DBA Commando Krava Maga and its founder Moni Aizik  have been served with a multi-million dollar class action lawsuit for fraud, misrepresentation, unjust enrichment, fraudulent inducement, or tortious interference with business, according to pr-inside.com.

The plaintiffs  claim that all of Mr Aizik's many misrepresentations has been created for the sole purpose of exaggerating his credentials in order to induce prospective students to purchase martial arts training from him.

The plaintiffs, which include his former top student and his former business partner,  list a number of these alleged false claims and fake Israeli army credentials given by Mr. Azik.

Sumo iPad

Japan - It may seem the Apple iPad can become a hit among sumo wrestlers because of the the larger larger touchscreen keyboards found on this product, according to ft.com.

The governing body of sumo has said it would provide these tablet computers to each of the 51 training stables in Japan.

Man Choking Juveniles

Indiana -- In Jeffersonville, a 6'5" inches and 297 pound 43-year-old man has been charged with felony battery for allegedly grabbing a juvenile boy by the neck and threatening to kill him, according to newsandtribune.com.

The man, who claimed he "knew martial arts" had chased a group of kids and assaulted one of them after the boys allegedly had been antagonizing and throwing rocks on his son.

When one of the kids took a swing at him, the man allegedly grabbed him by the neck and "foot-swept him," making the juvenile fall on the ground.

Got 'Car-Ried' Away?

UK -- An employee at a car dealer in Liverpool was beaten by a 29-year-old Muai Thai fighter, according to menmedia.co.uk.

The heavyweight fighter and Muay Thai expert - who also trains children - reportedly lost his temper and eventually assaulted the employee after learning that his wife's car hadn't been fixed.

Beating Up a Girl

Ohio -- A 29-ye-old Sylvania man -  said to be "involved in boxing and mixed martial arts" - has been charged after allegedly assaulting a teenage girl before barricading himself in his apartment and engaging police in a five-hour standoff, according to toledoblade.com.

The man was reportedly shouting insults at a group of teen girls and a boy across his backyard fence about 5:30 p.m.Thursday when one of the the teenagers, a 14-year-old girl, told him to stop.

Police said the suspect had reached over the fence and attempted to pull the girl over the fence by her hair and punched her in the face before she managed to break free.

Instructor Arrested

New York-- After a young male, now 18, came forward and claimed inappropriate sexual contact with his taekwondo teacher, the 38-year-old Fulton instructor was arrested.

The martial arts teacher has been accused of of committing a criminal sex act and endangering the welfare of a child, according to 9wsyr.com.

Police said the sex acts, which allegedly started in 2005 while the boy was 13 years old, continued until 2009.

We would like to state the following (although obvious) - any accused individual is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

MMA Fighter Arrested

Texas -- A 35-year-old MMA fighter who recently found himself a victim of a violent crime is now accused of assaulting a man outside a nightclub in San Antonio.

The local fighter and a 20-year-old man were both arrested early Sunday morning outside nightclub and charged with assault causing bodily injury, according to ksat.com.

The fighter also had outstanding warrants for public intoxication, disorderly conduct and driving without a valid license.

'Bruce Liberty'

China -- A red-painted 30-meter-high ceramic sculpture of kung fu legend Bruce Lee has been in Foshan, Guangdong, according to chinadaily.com.cn.

The city reportedly bills itself as "home of Chinese kung fu", and the local artists apparently hope the sculpture eventually will become a landmark on the scale of the (New York City) Statue of Liberty.

Accused of Child-Sex Attempts

Florida -- Fifteen men from around Florida have been arrested in a Craigslist sting operation and accused of trying to have sex with girls, according to orlandosentinel.com.

Among the suspects is a youth baseball coach as well as a 19-year-old martial arts instructor. The latter, a college student form Plant City, reportedly drove the undercover location to have sex with a woman in the presence of her children. He had allegedly used a martial arts related screen name and had told detectives he was an assistant karate instructor.

Now, That's a Sensei

All this talk about being a "master" or an "expert" as soon as you've reached the level of black belt will probably never stop. The uneducated media will always need something to write about when the next Karate Kid shows up.

Now don't get me wrong, the achievement is always a good thing for that individual. Also, many students still have to work long and hard for that grade ... and mind you, we're not exactly talking about two or three years of "training" at a black belt mill either for those who are truly dedicated to martial arts.

In all fairness, almost anyone should be able to reach the level of first dan, black belt in most martial arts, providing you give it enough time and regular training.

Now, dedicating 50 years or more to an art and still be kicking, like 68-year-old James Ambrose  sensei here has done in the hard karate style of shotokan - that's an other matter all together.

This, to me, is a sensei - a master and expert worth writing and reading about.

Quite Some Ethics...

Texas -- The 63-year-old chairman of a county ethics commission has been accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting an underage female relative over a period of five years, according to lcsun-news.com. The girl reportedly also told police she is now pregnant.

The former teacher and school administrator is reported to have taught karate at a community college in El Paso.

Karate, Soccer Coach Accused

California -- A 29-year-old Fullerton martial-arts/karate assistant instructor and soccer coach, already facing child-molestation charges in Fullerton and Anaheim for allegedly sexually assaulting two boys is now accused of molesting three more youngsters, according to ocregister.com.

The first reported cases dates back to September 2009  and involves two 8-year-old boys. Police arrested the man on August 5.

Accused: TKD Instructor

Maryland -- An investigation has been conducted into the report of sexual abuse of a child and solicitation of child pornography in Waldorf, according to thebaynet.com.

The suspect, a 25-year-old taekwondo instructor and owner of a TKD school, is accused of soliciting explicit photographs from a 14-year-old girl - a former student of his.

It was also discovered the girl had been to the man's house on at least one occasion for the purpose of engaging in sexual conduct. The incidents reportedly started in February 2010 and were discovered by the girl's mother in June 2010.

Charged With Murder

Nevada -- An MMA fighter from Gillette has now been formally charged with second-degree murder in the beating death of a former University of Nevada, Las Vegas football player.

Prosecutors charged the man, 25, in Las Vegas on Thursday, according to gillettenewsrecord.com.

Accused of Molesting Boy

California -- Accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy, a 38-year-old La Mesa karate instructor has been arrested by police, according to nbcsandiego.com.

Police alleges the man sexually abused the boy over a one-year period and that the victim was a student at the man's karate school in San Diego.

The arrested man's brother is calling the allegations "pure retaliation" from a former student who was kicked out of the karate school.

Kung Fu Stripper

Oregon -- A man reportedly stripped down to his boxers and took what was described as a kung fu stance at a county courthouse, according to kptv.com.

The man began harassing another person in the incident on Thursday. The shirtless kung fool took off his shorts and socks and then appeared ready to fight.

In any case, it looks more like some sneaky ninja move to me...

Kung Fu for Troubled Youth

UK -- A 'Karate Kid' inspired TV series given the working title 'Kung Fu Street Fighters' is going to be aired in Britain in 2011, according to guardian.co.uk.

The series is reportedly set to combat what they call a "hoodie culture and antisocial behavior" - using a British Shaolin munk and kung fu expert to mentor troubled inner-city youngsters.

Karate, Not Gay

Guyism.com has a story about what appears to be karate ads.

"A Miami ad agency's idea to promote karate by using a presumably gay young boy seems, well, not so progressive," the author writes. Not very hard to disagree on that statement. Given that these ads are real, it does in fact seems quite stupid.

Where's the Justice?

You will probably be just as chocked as I was when I read about this case from Texas. It involves a taekwondo coach who allegedly assaulted a young girl at the Houston daycare center where the man was working.

The case goes back to October 2006 when the young girl told her mother that her taekwondo coach brought her into a room and sat her on his lap. She said the man placed a blanket over her as she sat with him, and that he used his finger to assault her.

From here on out, the case is a mess of information not being presented to the grand jury, the seemingly shady actions of Harris County prosecutors, and how the mother has been fighting a losing battle to get the man to trial for his crime.

In December 2006, the man was fired from the daycare center when investigators from Child Protective Services concluded that he did in fact sexually assault the girl.

Even so, the perpetrator will not face charges for sexually assaulting the young girl, ten years old at the time.

In my humble opinion, there seems to be something really fishy about this whole case...

No Swords? Start Small!

Got no swords to swallow, you say?

Well then, why don't you just start with a number of smaller pieces of metal and work your way up from there?

Quite possibly, that was what this certified martial arts nutcase from Xinjiang, located in north west China was contemplating when he decided to down no less than 15 pairs of nail clippers, 30 razor blades and a countless number of nails (!) before he - after a month of practicing - reportedly collapsed in serious pain.

It took Chinese surgeons five hours to remove the stuff from the man's stomach. Some of the metalwork had allegedly rusted into place.

A sheepish wanna-be stuntman - who supposedly was so impressed with the feats of kung fu sword swallowers that he tried to copy them - later said: "I didn't have any swords so I started small and used what I could get from the local shop."

I'm at loss for words - seriously...

Kung fu stuntmen

China -- Here's a clip is from a nice article in cnngo.com.It's telling the story of the hard work involved by the Chinese kung fu stuntmen. Read the article and enjoy the clip! Impressive? You bet.

He Floored Knife Attacker

UK -- A 28-year old retired professional kick-boxer has been described as a hero after risking his life to floor a knife man who was threatening to kill his neighbor in Blackpool, according to blackpoolgazette.co.uk.

Brave Mark Clifton felled the 21-year-old drunken attacker with a single jumping side kick to the face as the man ran at him wielding a machete.

Fighter in Street Brawl

Texas -- Tmz.com has a story about  well known MMA fighter Roger Huerta beating and stomping another man in a street fight in Austin over the weekend.

The 27-year-old UFC figure was apparently in front of a bar in Austin around 2 a.m. on Saturday morning, when he witnessed a man punch a female.

Observing how the woman collapsed to the ground -- the fighter immediately tried to confront the attacker saying, "You just punched a [explicit] girl!"

The fighter immediately after took off his shirt and slammed his hat to the ground. He then rushed after the man and the fight broke out. 

Former Instructor, Mentor Charged

North Carolina -- July 22, wxii12.com had a story about a former child mentor and karate instructor who was charged with first-degree sex offense which reportedly happened 16 years ago.

Officials said the 40-year-old man, who taught karate in Lowgap for about 20 years, was charged after two adult victims came forward

Instructor Assaulted Teenagers

Update, Januar 2012:
The man has been found not guilty by a jury, according to brownsvilleherald.

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Texas -- A 39-year-old karate instructor recently turned himself in to face charges that he sexually assaulted three teenagers, according to themonitor.com.

The man allegedly have a long history of working with teenagers before his indictment from June this year amid allegations of child molestation.

The allegations follow two stints the man did as a correctional officer at a juvenile center in Edinburg. The center ultimately fired him over allegations that he tried to attack one of his detainees.

Muay Thai Fighter Dead

Florida -- Adrienne Simmons, a female Muay Thai fighter who took a strong blow during a fight recently died from the injuries she sustained, according to americanchronicle.com.

The 34-year-old woman from Atlanta, Georgia, received a left hook during the the last and final round of a bout at a hotel in Orlando, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.

Coach Saves Judo Youngster

Belgium -- A brave judo coach probably saved the lives of several young judo players when a tornado tore through a sports hall at a training camp in Belgium, according to kentnews.co.uk.

The 50-year-old British coach was blown out of the building when the tornado hit. However, he reportedly risked his own life to head back in and rescue those left inside.

Jailed for Molestation

Australia -- In what has been described as a massive fall from grace, a well known taekwondo instructor and international coach has been jailed for four months after being found guilty of molesting a 17-year-old female student, according to http://www.dailymercury.com.au.

The 47-year-old 5th degree black belt, pleaded not guilty to two charges of sexual assault of a 17-year-old female student in early 2009.

A World Heritage

China -- The famous Shaolin Temple in the Henan province of Central China has now been was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, according to http://english.peopledaily.com.cn.

The temple, nested in Mount Songshan, is claimed to be the birth place of Chinese kung fu and home of Zen Buddhism.

Guilty: Former Karate Teacher

Texas -- A 47-year-old former karate teacher who was arrested in Marble Falls in February 2008, has been given two separate jail sentences (99 years, plus life) after a jury found him guilty of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old former karate student of his.

The man was also convicted of burglary for breaking into the girl's home a few days before the assault, according to kxan.com.

Side note: The news brief mentions that the man taught at an ATA academy. If I'm not mistaken this is a taekwondo type of school (?)

Handy?

After practicing martial arts for about 17 years, 20-year-old Fan Congcong - which reportedly works as a lifeguard at a swim club - is able to handwalk for 60 metres within 30 seconds, according to whatsonxiamen.com.

The 20-year-old "handy man", who comes from the city Zhoukou in central China's Hunan Province, has practiced kung fu since the age of 3.

At the age of twelve, he was sent to the famed Shaolin Temple. After all this years' of practice, Fan is able to climb stairs and run quickly while standing on his hands.

Filming Students Undressing

UK -- A 25-year-old teaching assistant was been jailed in Sussex for covertly filming children as young as five as they changed for sports lessons at school.

The former primary school assistant was charged on April 27 after a lengthy police investigation, according to bbc.co.uk.

Out of of the 34 offences the man admitted to, 23 related to filming of 23 children aged 5 to 10, whilst they were changing for karate lessons the man was running at four different schools in Mid-Sussex.

Also, 11 indecent images of children, ranging in seriousness from level one to level five had been downloaded to the man's computer.

Firefighter Fighting

New York -- Nypost.com reported about how NYC Fire Department pension board said they would look into how a 42-year-old firefighter, retired on a disability pension at three-quarters pay, is able to fight in Muay Thai matches.

The Post earlier reported how the former firefighter was collecting a $74,624-a-year disability pension while participating in Muay Thai bouts.

A spokesman for the NYC mayor said they would review the case. He added they would examine any case where they thought someone with a disability pension did not have the condition documented by the medical board.

70-Year-Old MMA Fighter

Canada -- 70-year-old John Williams from New Brunswick, recently became the oldest person to ever compete in a professional MMA bout when he fought a 49-year-old former pro wrestler.

On paper this may sound like a novelty act, but the fight on July 24 in Moncton was serious business, according to Williams. It was done to prove a serious point, he said.

"I was trying to bring attention to the fact that when a person becomes a senior, society kind of pushes them out of the loop. The attitude toward them is that they're dumb, they can't do anything, physically they're just vegetables, and they're sort of shunned by society," Williams told MMA Fighting.

Fighter Chokes Traffic Enforcer

Philippines – A Manila traffic enforcer has reportedly filed charges against a 20-year-old amateur MMA fighter for choking him after the latter was cited for a traffic violation, according to abs-cbnnews.com.

The incident reportedly occurred around 10 a.m. Friday outside the Manila City Hall. when the fighter and his companions were criticized for blocking the front area of the city hall with their car.